Hailing from an English theatrical family, Christina Pickles is a beloved stage-trained actress who has enjoyed a rich and varied career that has allowed her to show her incredible range and great depth of character in her performances. She sets the bar for all at an entirely new height with this year’s “Outstanding Actress, Short Form, Comedy or Drama, Short Form” for her critically lauded performance in “Break a Hip” earning a remarkable seventh Emmy nomination for a superior performance. Earlier, Christina earned an Emmy nod for her hilarious role on “Friends” as ‘Ross’ and ‘Monica Geller’s’ mom adding to five nominations for her historic role on precedent-setting “St. Elsewhere.”
Probably best known for her portrayal of “Nurse Helen Rosenthal” on the NBC hit hospital drama “St. Elsewhere” and “Judy Geller,” the dysfunctional mother of Monica (Courtney Cox) and Ross (David Schwimmer), on the NBC smash comedy hit “Friends,” Christina was Emmy-nominated five times for “St. Elsewhere” and once for her indelible role on “Friends.”
Christina just added her seventh Emmy nomination this summer for her hilarious and touching performance as “Biz” in the short-form comedy series “Break A Hip.” Guest stars and riveting performances surround her indelible character including those from Oscar winners Allison Janey, Octavia Spencer and Jim Rash as well as a laugh-out-loud turn from Peri Giipin. It was Christina five years ago that learned about the infectious storyline of “Break A Hip” and its protagonist, ‘Biz,’ insisting producer/director Cameron Watson turn this into the Short Form hit series you see today. It’s the best in its space at a time when all of us are living longer and know a ‘Biz’ in our lives.
Christina trained at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London before moving to New York where she was a member of The APA Repertory Company and enjoyed a luminous career starring on and Off-Broadway. After moving to Los Angeles for “St. Elsewhere,” she worked consistently in film and television establishing herself as a versatile actress able to perform both comedy and drama deftly. Film credits include “The Wedding Singer,” Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet,” “Grace of My Heart,” and “Legends of the Fall.” As a voice-over artist, Christina can be heard in classic episodes of “The Family Guy” and as the spokesperson for Pavilions supermarket.
